Incidents of multiple voting have been reported and Kyiv, the EU and US have declared the ballot illegal.

In Slovyansk locals are dismayed about the way they are portrayed in the media as one woman explained: “From the TV all we hear are “Donetsk bandits, Donetsk this, Donetsk that, look I live here, I don’t where any colours, am I a bandit?”

A second ballot is planned for next week, posing the question “do you support joining Russia?”

Those behind the votes say the regions will boycott the upcoming Ukrainian presidential election scheduled for May 25.